As predicted earlier this week on Midwest Sports Fans, Joshua Cribbs and the Cleveland Browns pulled out a hard-fought win over the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17. Browns fans are still waiting for Joshua Cribbs to bust out a long kick return for a touchdown, but he came up with several key special teams plays today; the most crucial being a fumble recovery after a Beau Bell strip on a kickoff after the Browns had gone up 20-17. The offense stalled and only could muster another field goal, but the six point difference forced the Jaguars to go for a touchdown on their final drive — which they just missed off the finger tips of Cocaine Jones.

This was not a “pretty” victory for the Browns, as the offense stalled pretty much the entire final 45 minutes. But it was beautiful in the sense that it pulled the team to one game within .500 with a very winnable home game against Baltimore on the horizon next week.

And let’s not ignore the 800-pound elephant in the room: the team moved to 2-0 without previously suspended tight end Kellen Winslow.

But we can deal with the Kellen Winslow stuff a little later. First, some game balls:

Game Ball 1: Shuan Rogers

The big man was a beast today. Statistically, he had 9 tackles, one sack, and blocked a Jacksonville field goal. But anyone who watched the game knows that he was even more monstrous than those impressive statistics might suggest. In the middle of the 4th quarter, a very informed Browns fan turned to me and said “I guess he was worth a 3rd round pick, huh?” I would say so. Shaun Rogers has been a primary reason why the Browns defense has made such a marked improvement this year, and today was the day where his star shone the brightest. Easily the MVP of the game.

Game Ball 2: Joshua Cribbs

No, he has not been the game-breaking return man that he was last year. But he has become the heart and soul of this team. He can alter games without making big returns, as he did today recovering the afore mentioned 4th quarter fumble. He consistently beat double teams as the gunner on the punts and leaves every ounce of himself on the field. You have to watch Browns games to truly appreciate the contributions of Joshua Cribbs, as he is not showing up in the stat sheet much this year; but make no mistake, he is one of the ten most valuable players on the roster.

Game Ball 3: The coaching staff

The Browns coaches have been a much maligned group this year. And by no means did I agree with every call they made. The play-calling in the redzone leaves much to be desired, and the call to run on 3rd and 5 late in the 4th quarter was without question a “playing not to lose” mentality shining through.

But…and this is a big but…they had the Browns players emotionally ready to play today, during a week in which it seemed on the outside like a difficult thing to do. With so much controversy swirling around Kellen Winslow and staph infections and suspensions and a 2-4 record, the Browns came out and simply refused to lose against a very good team. Derek Anderson was not spectacular, but he was solid. He made some throws early and, most importantly, he did not make any bad ones late. The offensive line helped pave the way to a 4.0+ yard per carry average on the ground and allowed only one sack. The defense gave up 380 yards, but continued their trend of being extremely focused in their own territory and not giving the opponent any easy points.

Romeo Crennel and his coaching staff have been an easy target this year because of the underachieving record and periodic brain farts with respect to clock and game management; but credit must be given where it is due. Say what you want about specific calls in today’s game, but admit what is obvious: the Browns coaches had their team ready to play in a must-win game and pulled out a HUGE victory.

Game Ball 4: Steve Heiden

Steven Heiden led the Browns in receptions with 3 and in yards with 73. He helped lead the running game with his blocking. Most importantly though, he continued to not be Kellen Winslow. The Cleveland Browns are now 2-0 when Steve Heiden starts at tight end and 1-4 with “superstar” Kellen Winslow in the lineup. The two wins are against The New York Giants (who just beat Pittsburgh as I type this!) and the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road. No one who watches the games can say that the offense has not looked better without Kellen Winslow in the lineup.

I scoffed at notions earlier this year that the Cleveland Browns in 2008 might resemble in the New York Giants in 2007 in that we could be better with our “star” tight end out of the lineup. I have now seen enough to emphatically call myself out for being wrong. Later this week we will analyze what the Browns can do with Kellen Winslow moving forward, but right now it is hard to argue that Kellen Winslow playing gives the Browns a better chance to win next week against Baltimore.

Game Ball 5: Jamal Lewis

He got 20 carries, and the Browns got the win. This is not an accident or an anomaly. The Browns are now 11-1 when Jamal Lewis gets 20 carries. He churned out 80 tough yards and a TD with his carries, and once again carried the offense with Derek Anderson struggling to find his receivers consistently. Jamal Lewis often gets overshadowed by the big name receivers and quarterback issues that are typically the big stories of the Browns offense, but he continues to prove Browns management right in resigning him. Jamal Lewis is a beast, and bring consistent effort and heart and tough running every single week.

This was a tremendous victory for the Cleveland Browns, and should give the team a great deal of confidence as they head home next week for Baltimore. Sure, none of us expected the Browns to be 3-4 at this juncture in the season, but we are 2-1 in our last three games and starting to resemble the team that many people picked to make the playoffs in the preseason. I still think this is a team that goes 9-7 and plays in January, a road win over another potential AFC playoff team is a big step in the right direction.

Congratulations Browns. Now hopefully we can focus more on football and the players who are on the field rather than the players who are not.

[tags]cleveland browns, jacksonville jaguars, nfl, football[/tags]

ESPN.com has just reported that Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl TE Kellen Winslow has beeen suspended for one week without pay, including the Sunday game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Following the loss to the Washington Redskins, Kellen Winslow stated that he was unhappy with the way the Browns had handled his staph infection, stating he felt like “a piece of meat.” The suspension will cost K2 a reported $235,294, which is equal to one game check. Kellen Winslow will not be allowed to practice or attend team meetings this week.

(Update: Since the publishing of this post, Phil Savage has released an official statement on ClevelandBrowns.com. Follow the link to read it. Also, is it possible that the Drew Rosenhaus factor is at play here?)

Winslow’s loss will give those Cleveland Browns fans who claimed that the run game was more efficient with Kellen Winslow’s absence versus the Giants will get what they wished for this week against the Jaguars. If the Browns are productive on the ground in Jacksonville, those Cleveland fans may be onto something.

From the perspective of fantasy football owners, Steve Heiden is a formatable tight end who does not have Kellen Winslow-like big play ability, but does catch what ever hits his hands, and is a good red zone target.

In other NFL news, New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison will miss the remainder of the season, possibly ending the 15 year veterans career. The Boston Globe reported that Harrison tore his right quad muscle while attempting to tackle Jay Culter of the Broncos last night.

Sammy Morris, who also left last night’s game at the half, was listed as questionable for return for the New England Patriots. Reports out of New England state that Morris’s injury was not that serious and he was seen walking around the locker room after the Patriots win over the Broncos without a limp.

Check in with www.Midwestsportsfans.com for additional updates as they become available.

Kurt Fraschetti

profootballinsight@live.com